Improvement in operating ordnance



J. RIDGWAY. OPERATING O RDNANGE. N0 36,730. .Patented Oct. 2l, 1862 uw m, v@

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UNITED STATES .PATENT OFFICE.

JOI-IN RIDGWAY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT 1N OPERATING calati/nace.

Specification, forming part of Letters Patent No. 36,730, dated October 2l, 1862.

Tal whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN RIDGWAY, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Mode of Hanging, Arranging, and Operating Ordnance; and I do hereby declare that the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, hereinafter referred to, forms a full and exact specification of the same, wherein I have set forth the nature and principles of my said improvements, by which my invention may be distinguished from all others of a similar class, together with such parts as Iclaim and desire to have secured to me by Letters Patent.

The present invention relates to certain new .and useful improvements in the mode of hanging, arranging, and operating ordnance. -Its principal objects are as follows: rst, to so arrange the guns that they can readilyl and easily be pointed, so as to discharge projectiles at any desired angle, both from the horizon to the zenith, and in any horizontal plane; secondly, to provide for the rapid loading and discharging of cannon by such an arrangement of devices as will allow of their being quickly brought into such positions as will most facilitate the manipulations of the gunners; thirdly, to completely protect the gunners while the abovefdesired results are being attained.

The general features of my improvements consist in hanging andl arranging cannon upon any suitable frame-work thatcan be revolved in a vertical plane, either by steam-power or otherwise, in such a manner that the-guns themselves shall travel either upon a portion without varying the essential principles of my invention.

Iemploy two circular plates or wheels placed parallel to each other, and at a sufficient distance apart to receive any-number of guns of the desired caliber. These wheels or plates are held together .by suitable braces and revolve upon a common axle. The guns may be permanently fixed by their trunnions between the plates or wheels, or may swivel upon horizontal axles. It will be seen that by this arrangement any angle may be readily given to the guns with regard to the horizon by revolving the wheels or plates that support the guns, and that thus they can readily and quickly be successively brought to bear upon any ,de-r sired point. It then only remains (which is especially desirable in land-batteries, and is also preferable in floating ones) to give a horizontal sweep to the guns and to protect the gunners while facilitating their operations of loading, Sac., as will be apparent from the detailed description of my apparatus which follows.

In the accompanying plate of drawings my improvements are represented. Figure l is a plan or top view with the protective covering removed. Fig. 2 is aside view; Fig. 3, a central longitudinal vertical section; Fig. 4, a transverse vertical section, and Fig. 5, a detail view to be hereinafter referred to.

two decks-upper and lower-of any suitable vessel, inthe upper one, ay a', of which is made a circular opening, c c. Placed within the said opening o c is a hollowl shallow merim, e e, upon it-s upper edge, that bears or travels upongthe top surface-of the deck a c around the said opening. To the lower portion of this cylinder d d two parallel vertical or upright standards, f f, are secured and iimly held by suitable braces, and which eX- tend downward nearly to the deck or plane'b, a space, Z, being left between them, for a pur` pose to be hereinafter specified, and corresponding nearly to which in width, and eX- tending diametrically across the bottom plate, g, of thev said cylinder d d, is an opening, h. Between thesetwo standards f fin the space c a and b b in the drawings represent thel tallic cylinder, d d, having a projecting lip or- Z, either turning upon or with a horizontal;

transverse shaft, m, of the same, as may be deemed best, are placedtwo vertical circular parallel wheels or plates, n n., between which and to he s ame are permanently attached, by means of their trunnions or any other suitable manner, the ordnance er guns o o, &c., consisting of any desired numberand of any caliber.

Placed over the metallic casing or cylinder d d, and forming a part thereof or permanently attached thereto, is a shotproof metallic covering, p p, that can be made of a conical or'any other proper shape that will'eause the shot striking the same to freely glance oft' thereof, and is also provided with a port-hole, q, for the discharge of projectiles when the guns o o, &c., are successively brought in opposition therewith by means of devices to be hereinafter presently described.

To the lower` ends of the standards j' j' a gear-wheel, o", in a horizontal plane is permanently secured', and turning upon a central pivot or pin, s, of the decl; b. Interlocking with the gear lr is-.the worm t of a horizontal shaft, u, to which a rotary motion being imparted in any proper manner, by steam power or otherwise, the said gear i', and consequently the casing and other portions attached thereto, as described, can be revolved at pleasnre in a horizontal plane.

c c is a vertical gear-wheel attached to the shaft m, before referred to, or forming a part of one of its vertical wheels n n. XVith this gear v v a toothed pinion, w, engages. The said pinion ai, by means ot' the operating wheel or pulley .c of its shaft y, can be made to turn at pleasure, and thus through the said gear v cause the rotation in a vertical plane of the upright frame n a, &c., for containing the guns o o, &c., around its axis, as is evident without further description. Thus it will be seen from the above description that a rotary motion in a vertical plane is at pleas ure imparted to the wheels n n or frame for the guns, by means of which the guns are not only successively brought in opposition with the port-hole, but are also conveyed in turn below' the upper decl; of the vessel to-the chamber z, where they can be safely loaded for another discharge when again brought in opposition withthe port-hole, as described. And, also, it will still further be seen that the rotation of the guus in a vertical plane can take place at any and all times, whether the whole apparatus is being revolved in a horizontal plane, as described, or not, thereby securing, as itwere, a complete sweep of the whole horizon, the advantages of which need not be more particularly specified.

It is evident that instead of four guns, as

represented, being placed within the vertical frame, a-` greater or less number may be used, and that the vertical frame or wheels fnn can be made of various shapes other than that described and represented-such as, for instance, polygonal-without varying in any manner the essential features of my present invention, as have been above specified; and,

lastly, that my improvements are adapted to land or stationary defenses as well as vessels.

To prevent the backward revolution of the gun-frame n a by the recoil of the guns at the time of their discharge, a radial arm, c', of the shaft m, and having projecting arms b b at its outer end, is provided, that by means of a brake-rod, c', can be made to bear and produce friction upon the surface of the gunframe, thus in a measure preventing its backward revolution, as desired, it .being remarked that a portion of the recoil, in addition to that prevented by the said brake, would be overcome by the inertiaof the ordnance.

Instead of causing friction upon the gunframe at only one point of its circumference, it is evident that, in order to more effectually overcome the recoil of the guns when discharged, more than one of the above-.described arrangements of braking devices could be used, thus producing as great amount of friction as may be deemed best to prevent the said recoil from acting upon the apparatus.

The pivot s, upon which the whole apparatus rests and turns, as described, and represented in the drawings, is so arranged that by screwing up or down in its socket of the deck b the whole appara-tus can be raised or lowered, and thus the friction of the rim of the casing upon the decl; a will be decreased o1' increased at pleasure, as is evident, without further description, and for a purpose readily apparent.

ln lieu of having t-he edges of the gun-frame open, as represented, and wholly within the protective covering of the apparatus, an ironcased protective covering, cZ, as represented in Fig. 5, having suitable holes, e', for the muzzle ot' the guns, may be placed entirely around and over the same, the said easing d being` so formed that it will constitute a part of the protective covering or turret of the apparatus, wherebyit is apparent that the guns can be discharged at any vertical angle with regard to the horizon, ranging from a right angle to a horizontal plane-a result'never before in gunnery attained.

The guns, it is evident, instead of heilig fastened directly to their vertical frame, as described, can be so arranged as to allow of their being moved back and forth in the same, by means of which the guns can bemade at the proper times to protrude from their port-hole, and that, also, the guns can be so arranged as to be susceptible of elevation or depression in position, &c., and therefore in my claims I do not intend to limit myself in any degree to the particular mode herein described of securing the guns in their frame, as it admits of a great number of variations, accordingto the purposes or objects sought to be attained.

Having thus described my improvements, what I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-` 1. So arranging and operating en apparatus able arrangement of devices for giving a. hori- 'or mounting gunsthat they can be susceptible zontal movement around the circumference of of being revolved in aJ vertical plane the whole a circle to the guns, as described.

circumference of n circle, substantially as described, whereby they can be successively and JOHN RIDGWAY rapidly brought te bear upon any desired Witnesses: point, substantially as described. J osEPH GAVETT,

2. In combination with the above, any suit- ALBERT W. BROWN. 

